The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-09-14
The Impracticables.

third-party prohibitionists. Although
they can boast of hardly more than
three hundred thousand voters out of
the nine million voters in the United
States, and the folly of their separate
political action has repeatedly been
demonstrated, yet they persist in keep
ing alive movement which is inimical
to the cause which they profess to have
so much al heart. The election re-
turns of 1856 show that in no less than
twelve states this third party, though
small in numbers, held the balance of
power. Fortunately for the two great
parties, in most of these states plu-
rality instead of majority is required
to elect, so that the amount of mischief
which this third party is able to do is
much restricted. But in every case the
effect of the third-party prohibition
movement has been to aid the demo-
cratic party and the saloon interest.
In New York and Massachusetts the
submission of prohibitory amendments
and the passage of legislation to re-
strict the liquor traffic have been de-
feated by the election of democrats to
the legislature through the nomination
of third-party candidates. What has
been done in the way of practical pro-
hibition has been done without the aid
of this third party. Maine, Vermont,
Iowa and Kansas are striking illustra-
tons of this fact. This third party has
no numerical strength worth speaking
of in those states where prohibition has
become an actual fact, which shows
that real prohibition is something to be
achieved through either one of the
regular party organizations.
The claim is often made by third
party prohibitionists that the prohibi-
ton issue is the only one before the
country that is of more than common
importance. And yet their convention
in New York, as if distrusting their
ability to maintain their party upon
lilo OuC ioouC, pun WOllldu
suffrage, labor reform and pretty much
every public question that has been
talked about or dreamed of into their
platform. Their purpose in doing this
is, doubtless, to catch larger number
of voters than they would get by max
ing prohibition the sole issue. But it
is possible that they are carrying too
much sail and their craft will capsize.
If prohibition is the dominant and vital
issue they pretend it is, why is it neces-
sary to load it down with extraneous
minor issues? That some of the third
party prohibitionists are sincere and
well-meaning men we do not deny, but
their movement is none the less i'm
practicable so far as it is designed to
advance the interests of prohibition or
the cause of temperance. Their action
in New York shows that the leaders
have some comprehension of this fact.
The reason given for the existence of
this third-party movement is that the
regular party organizations are not do
ing enough to rid the country of the
great drink-evil. This may be true of
the democratic party as whole; it is
not true of the republican party. 1t is
true that all republicans are not tenn
perance men, but we believe it to be
an undisputed fact that the great mass
of republicans favor some method of
abolishing or restricting the liquor
traffic. A very large number favor alb
solute prohibition, large number local
option, large number high-license,
and the number of republicans who
would not have the traffic restricted in
any way must be small. How is it
with the democrats ? In the Northern
States, at least, the great mass of demo-
Gratis have invariably opposed prohi-
bition, very large number of them
have opposed local option, and until
within few years large majority OF
democrats have opposed any restriction
of the liquor traffic, unless it was in the
form of a license to raise revenue and
to give the "better class" of liquor.
dealers a monopoly of its sale. The
effect of the third-party prohibition
movement is to injure the party which
is most friendly to prohibition or the
best practicable methods of restricting
the liquor traffic, and to aid the party
which is opposed to prohibition and al
forms of sumptuary legislation. Thei
action, therefore, is not only exceed
ingly foolish, but it is disastrous to thu
real interests of prohibition. The thirC
party is wholly inadequate to the tasl
it has set out for itself, and if ii con
tinues to affect the relations of partie
it will only do so at the expense of tn
temperance cause.
10 s..I,N nI